MADISON, Wis. — Parents of Wisconsin marching band members expressed outrage over the school’s handling of a hazing investigation in dozens of e-mails to administrators, according to records released Monday.

The parents threatened to withhold donations, sought refunds for football tickets and even vowed to seek the firing of an assistant dean who led the probe, the e-mails show.

The parents said they were angry the university suspended the entire 300-member marching band while investigating allegations against a small minority of its members.

Several said they doubted University of Wisconsin sports teams would be suspended if some of their members committed misconduct and questioned why administrators allow students to yell crude chants at games but crack down on the band.

A few said they worried the publicity surrounding the investigation would damage the reputations of their children and make it harder for them to get jobs after they graduate.

“In this case, the rush to ‘make a statement’ has trumped common sense,” one parent wrote on Oct. 8. “In the process, completely innocent members of the band have been branded as drunks, miscreants and sexual deviants.”

UW-Madison spokesman John Lucas defended the university’s handling of the investigation.

“We believe that we acted in the best interest of student safety based on the complaints we received,” he said. “We acknowledge it was a very difficult and painful situation, not only for band members and their families but all Badger fans that were expecting to enjoy everything the band brings to a football Saturday.”

University leaders suspended the band and launched an investigation on Oct. 3 after receiving allegations of hazing during and before a trip to Michigan. The university suspended the band for the following day’s game against Ohio State, the first time in 40 years it did not play during a home football game.

Dean of Students Lori Berquam has said her investigation confirmed a “broad pattern of inappropriate and humiliating behavior” that often involved upperclassmen bullying freshmen. She said students were held for hours in bathrooms during a bus trip, members were forced to have odd hair cuts and underage drinking and inappropriate rituals were common.

The suspension was lifted the following week but university leaders have vowed to end a culture of hazing, alcohol abuse and sexualized behavior that has persisted among some elements of the band for years.

Berquam detailed some of the allegations in a letter to the band’s parents in early October and notified them of the school’s investigation. The letter unleashed a torrent of angry responses from band parents to associate dean Kevin Helmkamp, who led the investigation.

Parents of one band member wrote on Oct. 7 about how proud they were of their daughter for earning a spot in the band through years of hard work.

“Imagine our anger and disappointment in learning that this dedicated group of students has been singled out (by the Dean of Students!) for immoral and illegal actions!” they wrote. “These many young people have obeyed the rules, and worked too hard, dedicated too much of their time, and sacrificed too much to deserve this slanderous treatment!”

Some parents criticized the university for not releasing enough information while others said it released too much. One sarcastically mocked the decision to send home letters to parents.

“Sounds like something you would expect in grade school or high school. Dear Parent — Please tell Johnny/Susan to talk to the nice policeman, he/she is your friend,” one parent wrote.

One parent said he was so furious he was looking into legal action against the school.

“I do know for sure that my father is considering very seriously re-considering a sizable endowment (he) planned to leave the university,” the parent wrote.

Another accused the dean’s office of having a vendetta against the band and told Helmkamp: “You are a disappointment to the University and I am going to do everything within my power to get you removed.”

Berquam said Monday she accepted the parents’ frustration but the university has moved to “really put this incident behind us and set a new course.” She said her investigation is over but would not comment on whether students were disciplined.

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